Wednesday was the quarterfinals of the North Jersey Section 1, Group 1 playoffs and, at the half, the Verona High School boys basketball team trailed Palisades Park by 5. The two teams battled–mentally and physically–throughout the second half. Verona made up its deficit in the third period, but the two teams were rarely ever more than a point apart in the fourth.
And then came the bomb.
As the last seconds of the fourth period ticked away, with Verona trailing, Travis Jocelyn stopped just past mid-court and fired toward the backboard. Fans in both sections of the bleachers fell silent as the ball travelled through the air. It arrived at the net and barely disturbed a filament as it slid through.
Verona fans exploded, and their wave of enthusiasm gave Verona power to spare in overtime play. The Hillbillies put up 9 points in OT, to just two for Palisades Park.
Jocelyn, a junior, was once again the high scorer, with 18 points and six rebounds. Zack Zaccone had 11, while Joe Zecchino and Jack Farrell had 10 points apiece. William Taylor was the high scorer for Palisades Park with 16 points, followed closely by Christian Digsby and Carl Desrosiers.
The semifinals will be on Friday, March 4 and pit VHS against #1 Park Ridge. 
